To what extent are the French willing to change their lifestyle in the face of climate change? The electricity transmission network operator (RTE) and the Ipsos survey institute conducted a survey* between July 2022 and last May with a sample of 11,000 to 13,000 people. The study examines the appetite of the French to carry out actions in favor of the energy transition, the evolution of this appetite after the energy tensions that occurred during the winter of 2022-2023, as well as the behaviors that occurred during this energy crisis and its prospects for sustainability.
The first fundamental lesson of the survey is that there is strong awareness about climate change, 87% of those surveyed believe that the phenomenon is a reality while an identical proportion is concerned about it. Most of them are in principle favorable to changes in lifestyles and advocate fast and strong measures, even if this requires financial sacrifices. But “this statement of principle is not fully confirmed in the thematic issues at the individual level”, observe RTE and Ipsos.
An opening to automobiles and electric heating systems.
The survey shows that the French are open to some of the transformations needed to achieve carbon neutrality, particularly through simple gestures of sobriety. It may be a question of perpetuating the energy sobriety actions implemented this winter: three quarters of those surveyed say they have made efforts in their consumption last winter. Almost all of the respondents (91%) were economical with lighting-related consumption, while more than three-quarters of them turned down the heating in their home at night or even turned off their appliances when not in use.
Furthermore, the electrification of the individual car at a rate compatible with carbon neutrality needs is likely as more than one in three respondents (37%) would opt for a hybrid and electric drive if their vehicle broke down or was not repairable. A postponement that is also observed for the heating system: among the owners who plan to change the heating system, 44% would prefer an electric heat pump or electric radiators.
Finally, the means of producing electricity with low carbon emissions are quite popular among the French. This is particularly the case for hydroelectric power plants and photovoltaic panels, of which two-thirds of those surveyed have a good opinion. Opinions on nuclear power plants and wind turbines are more divided, but still largely lean in favor of these means of production.
Many obstacles to building renovation.
Some French foresee other transformations related more particularly to lifestyles, but more difficult to access today. This is the case of the reduction in the use of the car that seems limited “although many French people would be willing to resort to soft mobility and public transport as long as it adapts and enriches the offer of public transport and cycle paths”. Only a third of those surveyed plan to reduce their trips by private car in the next 5 years and almost half believe that it will be difficult. Furthermore, very few of them consider replacing their car with a compact model, an electric bicycle or even an electric motorized two-wheeler.
Regarding the rehabilitation of buildings, it is foreseen by more than a quarter of the owners surveyed in the next 3 years and almost half of them in the longer term (5 years). If the floor and wall covering comes first in the planned operations, many obstacles remain in the face of insulation works: 94% of surveyed owners mention economic obstacles such as cost or doubts about profitability and 58% related to the amount or obtaining of financial aid that remains unknown.
“Some of the French foresee the reduction of the housing surface, as well as shared accommodation, in particular with relatives, explains the survey. In practice, the trend has been quite contrary for several years and associated with the restriction.” Only 30% of those surveyed are seriously considering downsizing one day.
Car and home accessory
To date, some of the more fundamental changes in the model of society are clearly at odds with the aspirations of the French and run up against significant cultural and organizational obstacles. “This does not mean that these changes are impossible or that they will not have an effect on energy consumption in the long term, but that significant contextual changes will be necessary for these scenarios to be desirable,” RTE specifies. For example, the total abandonment of the individual vehicle is still far from certain. 89% of people surveyed by Ipsos say they use it several times a week to get around. Although more than two thirds of them have reduced their trips, a large majority (88%) would change their car if it broke down or could not be repaired.
Similarly, the dream of a single-family home persists in France: more than 60% of those surveyed who live in collective housing would prefer to move to a single-family home if they move. At the same time, only 14% of those surveyed who live in a single-family home would go to group housing if they moved. “However, the choice of housing is now constrained by supply, adds RTE. The challenges of controlling artificial surfaces and urban expansion mean that the recent trend is already oriented towards a slight increase in groups, although it is not the declared aspiration of the Frenchman.”
Finally, the survey highlights a limited interest in the use of shared spaces with neighbors. Above all, this interest is rather oriented towards spaces that are rarely inside the home and are therefore rarely heated. In detail, almost 70% of the French would agree to share at least one space with their neighbours, more specifically a car park or a space to store bicycles (more than half of those surveyed). Instead, it is more mixed for a garden (35%), a cellar (26%) or even a terrace (22%). The reasons given to explain this majority rejection of most spaces are privacy (cited by 63% of those surveyed) but also distrust of strangers, which is mentioned by a third of those surveyed.
*The survey was carried out by the Ipsos polling institute for the operator of the electricity transmission network RTE with a sample of 11,000 to 13,000 people representative of the population. The survey was conducted in two waves between July 2022 and May 2023, one before winter and one after.
Source: BFM TV
